Serenity
by Eel Nivek
Summary: Sequel to Matrimony. Follow the journey of a young girl, who enters a prestigious academy, gets bullied, and fights monsters, all for the sake of finding her father. Mega-hiatus.
1. Kingdom Hearts

**Serenity**

A/N: Okay, so here's the next installment in the series. It will be very different from Matrimony, but there WILL be Lightis. It'll take some time before Lightning and Noctis get their moment. Hope you guys enjoy it.

**Prologue**

Down by the murky rivers of Avalon, a lone woman sat by the bank, watching rain pelt the river waters. She didn't know why she kept coming here. She guessed it was kind of relaxing to hear the river crash against the bank.

The sound alone purged her mind from thoughts of her droll, repetitive day working as a cashier at a rundown liquor store.

She sighed sadly. She wanted desperately to make money and move away from this sickening city, but no employer other than her sister would hire her. As much as she loved her sister, she wanted to find _real_ work. Work that would satisfy her. Work that would provide an income sufficient enough to raise a family.

So far, her future looked bleak.

Maybe it was her destiny to grow up as a cashier with no family.

And that's why she came to the river, so all her horrible thoughts would be washed away. No pun intended.

As she continued watching the river, she noticed something peculiar caught in the current. Looking closer, she gasped. _What in heaven's name?_ There was a woman being swept by the current!

Taking off her rain coat, she dove into the river, an action she seriously regretted, experiencing that the river was only a couple of feet deep. She swam toward the woman and guided her to the shore.

Coughing as water entered her lungs, she took a deep breath and flopped on ground. Ugh, the rain wasn't letting up, making this very unpleasant for her.

Shivering, she examined the unconscious woman she had rescued. The woman was tall and exquisite with sable black hair and pale skin. Vanity kicking in, she inspected the woman further.

_Wow._

This woman was definitely a heart breaker. She had curves that all men and women desired. Plus, the rain made her satin black dress cling to her body, only further emphasizing her natural beauty and damn, if those legs got any longer...

It was a good thing, she had found and rescued her. Had the woman drifted any further, who knew where she could have ended up or who could have found her?

She shuttered at the thought. They were in Avalon. A beautiful woman like her would be sold to a mob leader and raped without remorse, not necessarily in that order either.

Lifting the woman up and around her shoulders, she groaned. It was going to be a long walk back home...

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

By the time she finally made it to her rundown, "ghetto" apartment, the rain ceased to pour.

"Fang!" She called out, hoping her sister would assist her in carrying this tall woman.

No luck. Hmm...

"Snow?" No response. Now that was strange. The apartment manager never left his room without posting a 'Will return at...' sign on his door. Seeing no sign at all, she started to feel anxious.

Oh my God! What if the whole apartment building had been robbed while she was away?

_Please no._

"Sazh?" Setting the woman down, she shouted out the names of the other residents as best as she could with her puny voice. "Hope?"

No answer.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! NOO!"

_That was Snow's voice. _She stood erect, grabbing a frying pan from the shared kitchen room. The loud scream had come from the common room, a room the five apartment occupants used for festivities.

It was an ambiguous room, covered by packages and boxes. Even the health inspector, who rarely came by, missed it. What better place was there than that to murder people? And right now, her friends were being murdered!

Not knowing why she was being so brave, she pushed passed the boxes and took a deep breath before opening the door. God have mercy, if she was going to die, she was going to take some people with her.

Opening the door, she rushed in, eyes closed and frying pan in the air. "Hold it right there!" She squeaked, cursing herself for not sounding intimidating. "Ah! Never mind, I'm sorry! Please don't shoot me!"

"Vanille?"

Vanille opened one of her eyes and found Snow, Fang, Hope, and Sazh staring at her as if she'd grown another head. How mortifying. She had just made a big fool of herself.

She thought they were being raided by robbers, but the reality was everyone was just watching the Blitz Bowl on the plasma screen television Snow and Sazh had carefully saved up for.

"Vanille, what's with the frying pan?" Her dark-haired sister, Fang questioned curiously.

"U-Uh. I-It's nothing!" She quickly hid the frying pan behind her. "No one answered me when I called, so I assumed..."

"That we'd been robbed?"

Vanille nodded. _Please ground, open up and swallow me anytime now... _"I heard screaming, too."

Fang walked up to her and pulled her into her arms. Ah, sisterly love. "Vanille..."

_Oh no. _Vanille groaned. Fang was using that tone again. _Here comes the lecture._

"What did I say about the safety of our apartment?"

"That it's the safest in the world, and that it's securely fenced, and that it's safer here than it is at the Angel palace, and that Snow made all the windows bulletproof, and that Sazh is an expert marksman... AND that you'd never let any thug hurt me." Vanille recited as usual. "Am I missing anything?"

"Mmm, I think you are." Fang replied.

"No, I don't think I am."

"Yes, I think you are."

"Oh fine," she pouted. Her older sister was so stubborn. "I love you?"

"Nope," Fang crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "I'm not convinced."

"I love you Fang!"

"Nope."

This time it was Snow who cut in. "Aww, come on babe." He shouted from the couch. "She loves you, now come and watch the game!"

As Fang returned to her seat next to Snow on the couch, Vanille silently thanked her sister's boyfriend. Snow was a great guy In fact, she didn't know anyone more caring or cheerful than him.

She was seriously in debt to the big man. He had saved her from more than a dozen earfuls from Fang.

Walking over to the couch, she sat next to Hope, a silver-haired boy.

Hope had been only fourteen when he was orphaned.

While returning from work, Snow had found him on the streets, lifeless and offered him a place to stay. Ever since that day, the young boy recovered his spirit and started practicing medicine, wanting to heal the injuries of others.

"What's going on?" She asked him.

"The angels just scored, tying it at seven to seven! Oh my God this is too intense!" Hope explained then jumped out of his seat, hands on his head in frustration when a demon player stole the ball. "WOW, is he blind?"

Vanille watched as the demon player drew closer. He tossed the ball into the air and did a bicycle kick, sending the ball passed the goalkeeper and scoring.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! YES!" Snow shouted, clapping happily. "Woohooo!"

So that's why Snow had been shouting... And to think that she had thought they were being robbed...

Hope shook his head angrily and shrank deeper into the couch, mumbling criticisms about how horrible the angels were at defense.

Vanille smiled. Though she wasn't a fan of blitz ball or sports in general, she loved it whenever they were together. It was the only time she felt like she belonged. She hated Avalon, but she loved Snow, Fang, Hope, and Sazh.

Shifting her thoughts, she felt a surge of pride ripple throughout her when the angels took possession of the ball. She, like Hope and Fang, was an angel. While she and Fang were Virtues or guardian angels, Hope was a Cherub, an angel of healing.

Snow and Sazh were different cases. They were both assassins, demons that specialized in the art of killing. Strangely though, Snow and Sazh were also the kindest demons in the world. She didn't exactly know how assassins could be nice, but she was thankful they were.

Still, sometimes she couldn't believe that Snow was an assassin, especially since Fang kicked his ass all the time.

Focusing on the game, she cheered as the angels scored and almost laughed herself to death when Hope told Snow and Sazh to kiss his 'booty'.

"Demons ain't got nothing on angels," Hope taunted.

"Oh suck my dick," Snow retorted bitterly.

"Sorry," Hope answered, drunk on joy. So drunk, in fact, he forgot _the_ basic rule to survival... "I think Fang does plenty of that already."

Vanille choked, spitting her soda everywhere.

_Oh no, that poor child. _By the looks of it, Vanille could tell Hope was already regretting what he said. True or not, that was a damn bold statement, and Hope knew it. They all did.

An ominous aura filled the room, making chills run up her spine. It was Fang's aura.

Snow and Sazh moved as far away as possible from Fang, not wanting to be caught in the massacre that was sure to happen.

Vanille sat where she was. Fang would never hurt her. Hope, however, was a goner.

"NOOO!" Hope squealed like a birdy. "I-I-I didn't mean to say that! Holy crap Fang, please don't kill me. PLEASE!"

Fang drew her arm back. Hope's eyes widened spontaneously. He knew that form. Oh God, please not that.

"NOOO NOT the FALC—"

Hope didn't get to finish sentence. Fang's punch sent him flying through the door and into the front yard.

"U-U-Ugh..." Came the teenage boy's pained groaned. "I can't feel my body... Why did I have to run my stupid mouth? Hey... What the hell? There's a freakin' unconscious woman here!"

Hearing those words, Vanille stood up immediately. How could she have forgotten about the lady?

"A woman?" Snow arched one eyebrow.

Curiosity piqued, they all exited the common room and walked to the front yard, where Hope was lying.

Vanille took a step forward, hopping over Hope's semi-paralyzed boy.

Sure enough, the black-haired woman remained sleeping where she had left her.

"Woooow," Snow whistled after an initial inspection. "That is one FINE woman." His joy was short-lived as Fang grabbed him by the ear angrily and punched him in the gut. After dealing with Hope's little episode, she was not in the mood to deal with Snow's appreciation for the female race.

"O-Of course, I-I mean she's not as sexy as you are baby," Snow moaned, rubbing his bruised stomach.

Fang glared at him. "You're sleeping on the couch."

"WHAT?" Snow whined. "Aww come on babe, you know I didn't mean it."

"Nope."

Vanille moved over to Hope. "What do you guys think about her? I found her in the river. She was being swept away by the current."

"She's human," Sazh answered. "It's strange. I can smell her blood. It's genuine human blood, but there's something strange about it. Her blood is fresh like a baby's. It's almost as if human blood is new to her system, but that's not possible..."

"How strange," Fang commented. "She looks like she's about Vanille's age. Why's a young little thing like her doing, drowning in a river?"

"Well maybe we can ask her once she wakes up," Vanille replied. "Either way, she's going to be staying with us."

"We don't have any more vacant rooms," Snow interjected. As much as he'd love to shelter another person, his crummy apartment's capacity had reached its limit when Sazh moved in. "She won't have anywhere to sleep."

"That's not a problem," Vanille answered. "She can sleep in my room. I have a makeshift mattress that she can use as a bed, and I have plenty of clothes for her to wear if she needs some."

"Ah fine," Snow conceded defeat. There was absolutely no point in arguing with Vanille when she wanted something. The Oerba 'stubbornness' was a scary enemy and a bane to all men's existences. "You can keep her—I mean, you can let her stay."

Vanille nodded happily.

"What do you think, Hope?" She asked the teen.

Hope didn't reply. It took him all his effort not to drool like an idiot. This woman was so beautiful it hurt to look at her. She looked like she was some rich person's wife or better yet, she looked like royalty.

Vanille elbowed him playfully. Hope always blushed and turned on his 'shy' mode whenever he was around women. This woman, in particular, was exceptionally gorgeous, so Vanille could only wonder how chaotic Hope's state of mind was.

"Look she's waking up," Fang pointed out.

The dark-haired woman opened her eyes slowly. "Uh... My head..." She groaned and shivered.

"Hello there!" Vanille greeted sweetly and noticed that the woman's eyes were also black. Everything about her was dark and shrouded by mystery.

The woman blinked and paused as if she was trying to get her voice to work. Where was she?

"My name's Vanille," Vanille stated then introduced the rest of her household. "That's Snow, Fang, Sazh, and Hope. What's your name?"

"My name?" The woman breathed, rubbing her forehead. "I... I don't know." She genuinely couldn't remember what her name was or what she had been doing prior to waking up. All she could vaguely remember was floating on water.

Vanille glanced at Fang, who shrugged. Maybe the woman had amnesia. It wouldn't be surprising, seeing as she had nearly drowned in the river.

"Well then, do you know where you came from?" Vanille questioned.

The dark-haired woman shook her head. "I can't remember anything. W-What's happened to me?" She panicked.

Fang set her hands down on the woman's shoulders lightly. "Hey now, don't worry about it. I'm sure it will all come back in time. How about we get you settled in Vanille's room until you get your memories back?"

"Yeah," Snow gave her a smile. "You can stay for as long as you need. Hell, you can stay forever if you want. The more the merrier I always say, and I don't think anyone has a problem with that, plus Hope will be ecstatic to have another girl around."

"You asshole," Hope groaned, still hurting.

Snow ignored him. "So what do you say?"

The woman nodded timidly, surprised by their willingness to help her when she was a complete stranger. "I-I'd like that."

Vanille grabbed the woman's hand. "Come on, let me show you our room."

Before she could drag the poor woman away, she was stopped by Fang.

"Hold on Vanille. We need to come up with a temporary name for her. It's bad enough that she doesn't know what to call herself, but we need some sort of way to address her."

"Hmm," Vanille scratched her chin. "What do you guys think?"

Snow frowned, Sazh shrugged, and Hope moaned.

Receiving no clear response, Vanille examined the woman for traits that stood out. The woman was painfully good looking, and her looks matched the description of the mythical fallen angels that her mother had read stories of.

This was going to be tough.

Giving the woman another quick glance, she noticed something that she hadn't before. Dangling from the back of the woman's black dress was a small white tag. Vanille grabbed it and read the letters on it.

_Clarissa?_

Oh, that was a brand name!

Her face lit up happily. _This is great!_

"Guys," Vanille laughed merrily. "I think her name should be Clarissa."

"Not bad," Fang smirked. The others agreed.

"C-Clarissa?" The dark-haired woman repeated, trying the name out. She liked it. "Okay."

"Now for a last name," Snow stated. "How about Villiers? You could be my little sister!"

"No, no," Vanille waved his words away. The last thing Clarissa wanted to be was a Villiers. She was so much more suited to be an Oerba. "Clarissa, you should take the Oerba name."

Snow rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to have any of this nonsense in the household. Two Oerba's were enough; one more would be a pain that he wasn't going to deal with.

"Nope sorry, not happening," Snow refused.

"Too bad, Clarissa already decided to be an Oerba!" Vanille stuck her tongue out.

"I did?" Clarissa asked, confused.

"Yes you did," Vanille whispered, telling her to play along.

"Clarissa," Snow nudged. "Tell the insane woman that you're going to be a Villiers. I mean do you honestly want to be an Oerba? Oerba sounds like something a monkey would grunt before taking a crap."

"Hey!" Vanille gasped, offended by the slight to her family name. "That was an unnecessary comment!"

Before she could further reprimand for Snow's insult, Vanille watched as Fang pounced on him. Her sister clawed and punched at him with such a fury that it was a wonder how she had managed to bottle up that much anger for so long.

"Guys?" Hope interrupted.

No one was listening, they were too busy watching Fang and Snow wrestle. "GUYS!" He shouted.

That got their attention.

"I think Clarissa's last name should be Angel," he suggested.

"Why's that Hope?" Vanille questioned. She did admit it was lovely choice for a woman such as Clarissa.

"I-I don't know," Hope replied sheepishly. A blush crept up his face. "I-I just thought she looked like an Angel when I first saw her... Oh my God, that was so cheesy. Just forget I ever said anything."

"No," Clarissa smiled. "I like it a lot, thank you."

"Clarissa Angel?" Fang grinned. "Not too shabby I'd say."

"Then it's settled," Vanille replied. "Welcome to the family, Clarissa. Now let me show you our room."

Clarissa followed the quirky teenager through a series a crummy hallways. Twice, she had nearly killed herself from stumbling over the random potholes strewn all over the place. Goodness grief, someone definitely had to put up a couple of warning signs. These things were deadly.

Vanille, however, seemed to know where every pothole was, seeing as she hadn't tripped once during the course of their walk to the rooms. They stopped at a faded green door that was long in need of a paint job and repairs as there was an enormous crack running from top to bottom. It seemed everything about this apartment was impoverished, but Clarissa didn't mind at all. She was glad she had a place to stay because for all she knew, she could have been homeless prior to coming here.

The room was fairly small, decorated in orange paint. There was a small drawer with a mirror on top and a moving closet door that croaked when put to use.

Clarissa was surprised. If Vanille set up a mattress for her in this room, there would be absolutely no space left. The fact that the orange haired teen was willing to sacrifice so much touched her.

"You don't have to do this," Clarissa stated. "I can ask Snow to let me sleep in the room we were in earlier."

"The common room?" Vanille questioned. "Nah, I'll be much happier if you stay here with me. I'd rather have company than extra space. I don't even do much in my room anyways."

"I see," Clarissa commented. "Um, is there a restroom anywhere that I can use?"

"Of course, just not here. You have to take a right at the hallway, walk a bit and then you'll see it on your left. It's a black door and yes, it is a shared bathroom so if it's locked, someone might be using it," Vanille answered.

"Thanks," Clarissa left in search of the restroom. For some reason, her stomach and head were aching. She didn't get too far before the pain in her head ignited, forcing her to lean against the wall.

_What's wrong with me?_ She clamped her jaw shut to prevent herself from screaming out. Sweat poured profusely from her temple, drenching her face. Her body was so hot it felt like she was being boiled alive.

The sweat on her arms caused her to slip. Lying on the floor, she curled into a ball and grit her teeth. At this moment, she couldn't focus on or process anything other than the agony she was in.

"Clarissa?" Vanille's worried voice rang out. "Oh my God! Clarissa! Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Unable to endure any longer, Clarissa screamed, clutching and pulling on her dress. Any form of distraction was welcome.

"Help!" Vanille shouted. "Someone help! Clarissa talk to me!"

"I-It h-hurts," she stuttered. "I-I..." She didn't have enough strength to finish sentence.

"Hey!" Hope came running down the hallway with the others in tow. "What's going on?"

"Hope," Vanille started to tear up. "Something's wrong with Clarissa. She's in so much pain that she can't even talk."

"When did this start happening?" Hope asked.

"I don't know. I went looking for Clarissa in case she had gotten lost, b-b-but then I found her lying on the floor like this!"

"Calm down Vanille," Fang patted her head.

"Hope can't you do something buddy?" Snow asked. "I mean you've been studying to be a doctor now put those brains to use. Think of this as your first test, if you can heal Clarissa you get an A for the day."

"What the hell are you saying?" Hope snapped. "This isn't a joke. Clarissa's in pain and if my inexperienced ass screws up a spell, things could get ugly. I'm not going to gamble with her life."

Vanille was about to agree with boy when something happened that none of them would ever expect.

The hallway lit up in a brilliant white glow. Vanille hissed. The light was so bright, it hurt even when she had her eyes closed. Never in her life had she experienced anything like this.

The light lasted for what seemed like hours before finally fading.

Rubbing her eyes, she waited for them to get back into focus. And when they did, boy was she surprised.

"W-What the?" Hope's agnostic voice broke the silence. "I-Is that? Am I the only one seeing things?"

"N-No," Fang stammered.

"Holy shitola..." Snow gasped, eyes wide as saucers. "But how is that even possible?"

Vanille wanted to ask the same thing. She couldn't believe it, but her eyes didn't lie.

Clutched in Clarissa's arms were two baby twins.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Kingdom Hearts<strong>

_Sixteen Years Later..._

"Mom! MOM!" A young girl of sixteen ran happily through the streets of Avalon and bustled into her uncle's apartment complex. She had casually gone to fetch the mail at the post office across the street; however, her casual trek had turned her day into one of the happiest in her life.

"Mommy!" She called again. "Mom? Hello? Is anyone home? Aunty Vanille? Aunty Fang? Uncle Snow? Uncle Sazh? Uncle Hope?" _That's strange... _No one was answering her. She had just got back from her part time job babysitting, and it was about 7:00 PM, so everyone should have made their ways home by now.

"Reni?" Her blond-haired cousin, Naminé walked out of the bathroom, yawning. "Oh Reni, you're home!"

"Hey Naminé, do you know where everybody is? I tried calling, but no one seems to be home," Reni held a parcel to her chest. "Shouldn't they be home?"

Naminé shrugged. "I don't know. Guess they all have overtime. I've been trying to do my homework, but Dajh keeps bugging me. He wants me to play PlayStation with him. God knows I'm terrible at all games, period. Want to play with us?"

"Sure," Reni replied.

Following her cousin to the common room, Reni spotted her little cousin, Dajh sitting directly in front of the television with a controller in his hand. The little pre-schooler was always so eager to play, there was no stopping him when he was in the 'zone'.

Reni spotted another figure, only he was lying on the couch lazily watching Dajh 'pwn' some 'noobs' on the PlayStation. The pre-schooler's vocabulary was impressive indeed.

"YA I kik ur butt!" Dajh pumped his fist in the air.

See what she meant? Reni smiled. Dajh was just so adorable.

"Reni! Naminé!"

Reni glared at the figure on the sofa. "What do you want, Ciel?"

"Hey! Don't be so cold to your precious older brother," Ciel whined playfully. "You know I love you baby sister."

"For Pete's sake!" Reni growled. "You are not older than me! Mom says I was born first!"

"If you say so baby sister."

Reni rolled her eyes as Ciel ran his hand through his messy, trademark blue-gray hair. Ugh, her brother was such a playboy, good-for-nothing womanizer. She honestly didn't know why the girls at their previous school thought he was sooo hot.

Even now, the comments of her friends remained engraved in her head. It was always, 'Oh Reni, Ciel is absolutely gorgeous, can I eat him?' or 'Reni don't you ever want a piece of that?' As if! _Puh-leeze._

"Oh, oh," Dajh grunted, happy to see his older cousins. "Reni, Naminé let's play! Come, come!"

Reni sat on the floor between Naminé and Dajh and held her controller. She, like Naminé, only played games when Dajh begged her to. Usually, it was Ciel who played with him, but she guessed her brother wasn't in the mood. The idiot must have broken up with a girl, _again_.

The game started and waves of zombies assaulted their base.

Her character shot off two measly rounds from his pistol before being mobbed and eaten by zombies.

"Hahahaha! Reni, you suck."

"Oh shut it, Ciel," she muttered angrily. "No one loves you."

"Not true," Ciel retorted. "Mom loves me."

"That's only because you're adopted."

"Pfft, you wish baby sister."

"Oh I do," Reni mashed the buttons of her controller. _All the time_.

"Hey!" Naminé yelled. "Dajh, you stole my upgrade!"

"Yu snooj you looze!" Dajh squealed. The little monster was obviously ecstatic about the ass kicking he was delivering to his two older cousins. In the world of video games, he was king.

The three of them played for about an hour until they heard the front gate creak open.

"Daddy and Mommy are home!" Dajh jumped and ran out the door, completely forgetting about the game that was in progress.

Reni, Naminé, and Ciel followed the little boy to the front yard. Sure enough, everyone was there.

"Mommy!" Reni ran toward her mother and gave her a hug.

"Hey honey," her mother smiled and kissed her cheek. "How was work today?"

"Babysitting? Piece of cake. By the way, I have something to tell y—"

Reni yelped as Ciel shoved her away. "MOMMA!"

Their mother laughed happily as her big, baby boy held her up. Reni felt a wave of jealousy surge through her.

"How are my babies doing?" their mother asked.

"Fine," they replied in unison.

"How about you, mom?" Reni cuddled against their mother. "Did you bust some bad guy ass at work?"

Their mother was a cop, which was totally sick because Avalon cops were the baddest of the bad asses. To top things off, their mother was so smoking hot every single male cop wanted to be her partner.

"Not really," she replied. "But there was an incident at the gate. A couple of vampires and werewolves tried to sneak their way into Avalon. We caught them before they could make it."

"Man, problems with the _Horde_ are getting worse, aren't they?" Reni frowned.

Sixteen years ago, the human race faced a severe crisis. Having suffered earlier from the civil war, the humans were in a terrible state, both militarily and economically. Yet, from south of their lands emerged a monstrous, bloodthirsty race known as the Horde.

The Horde, comprised of vampires, werewolves, filth monsters, freezlings, gigantic insects, the undead, and many other abominations, voraciously feasted on the weary humans. And, in a matter of weeks, human lands were completely overrun by the monsters.

Fearing for their lives, human citizens fled to demon and angel lands, where they sought refuge despite the prejudice against them. What was once known as human lands soon became known as the _Wilderness_, a sanctuary for the foreign creatures.

However, the Horde's greed didn't end with the invasion of human lands. Wanting more, the creatures foolishly approached demon and angel lands, assuming that their new prey were as weak as the humans.

Unorganized and pitted against the ruthless demons and angels, the Horde was massacred in the bloodshed that followed.

The Horde retreated into the Wilderness in order to recuperate.

Being a reproductive race, they regained their impressive numbers in a matter of weeks, and over the years made various attempts at invading demon and angel lands.

Five years after their acquisition of human lands, the Horde developed a hierarchy and leadership. They appointed four leaders and gave them the titles of 'The Four Kings'.

The North was ruled by the Pale King, the South; the Were-lord, the East; the Arachnid, and the West; the Immortal.

Soon enough, the demons and angels found themselves facing a tougher foe, whose numbers were enormously greater than theirs. The Horde persistently attacked demon and angel lands, and won several of their encounters.

The newly appointed demon king, Noctis Lucis Caelum decided to construct an academy for demons, angels, and humans. Many demons thought it was strange that their king tolerated the human race, but others knew it was due to the wishes of the late queen, the deceased angel princess.

Kingdom Hearts became the name of the academy that was constructed. Students accepted were put through military training under the top commanders, all the while, studying their choice of a specialization or major with renowned educators.

Having all three races in their arsenal, the KH (the academy students) successfully managed to push the Horde out of angel and demon lands.

Even to this day, the KH fought the Horde, while maintaining good grades as well.

So where did Avalon come to play in all this muck? Well, Avalon is the border between the Wilderness, and angel and demon lands, meaning that the Horde has to go through Avalon if they want to invade.

Reni frowned. Her mother, being an Avalon cop, guarded the border occasionally. Reni absolutely hated the fact that her mother put herself in danger. Although her mother had some military experience, she was definitely no match for a creature of the Horde. After all, she was only human.

"Mom," Reni squeezed her mother. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Don't worry honey," their mother insisted. "I can take care of myself. I won't let any of those monsters come into Avalon, and if they lay a single hand on my babies, I'll kill every last one of them."

Reni giggled happily. "I love you mommy!"

"I love you, too sweetheart."

"Soooo mom, all of that Horde nonsense aside, why'd you come home so late?" Ciel asked.

"Oh," their mother paused. "That's because your Uncle Hope had to close the shop."

"Ah."

Their Uncle Hope was the only one in the family that had a car. Whenever he finished work, he would pick up the rest of their aunts and uncles, consequently if he worked late, everyone came home late.

"Reni honey, you said you wanted to tell me something?"

Reni shook her head and hid her letter. It was best to save the news for later. "I'll tell you at dinner."

At that moment, Uncle Snow came up to them with Naminé on his shoulders. Naminé's head nearly hit the ceiling because her father was so tall. Their 6'7" uncle was a human tower. It was really surprising her little cousin had ended up petite.

Naminé was about 5'4", which was roughly about her height as well. It was also sad because Naminé was four years younger than her, meaning her cousin still had time to grow.

Reni sighed. If only she was as tall as Ciel or her mother then her life would be complete. Her mother was at least a good head taller than her, and Ciel... Well Ciel was just tall...

"Dinner's at nine, Clarissa." Uncle Snow told their mother. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower. Princess, why don't you help your mother set up the tables?" he asked, using his term of endearment for Naminé,

"Sure thing daddy," Naminé replied.

"Ciel, Reni," their Aunt Vanille yawned, exhausted from her long day at work. Despite the fact, Vanille looked like she was still eighteen, she groaned like an old woman. "Can you two help Uncle Hope bring the groceries in? He's waiting outside by the car."

"Okay!" They both answered and ran off to help their uncle.

"You've got a lovely pair of angels there Clarissa," Vanille sighed enviously.

"I know," Clarissa beamed with pride as her twins went to save their uncle. "I don't know what I'd do without them. They're the reason I live. Reni always tells me she's going to find her father for my sake, and Ciel says he's going to be rich and buy me a mansion, but I could care less about those things as long as I have them."

"You're so lucky to have kids Clarissa. I'd kill to have some of my own..." Vanille frowned. "It's been sixteen years since the day I met you, and I have yet to find a man for myself. I honestly think I've been cursed to live a life of a recluse."

"Don't worry Vanille, I'm sure there's a special someone out there waiting to meet you."

"You tell me that every year," Vanille smiled, "and yet, it still gives me hope."

"Well if it makes you feel better, Reni and Ciel absolutely adore you."

"And I absolutely adore them as well. Okay, I think I'm going to go change. I really have to get out of this sweaty t-shirt. I'll see you at dinner Clarissa!" Vanille waved before disappearing into her room.

Clarissa stood in the front yard waiting for her babies when Sazh and Susan Katzroy passed by with their son, Dajh. They greeted her warmly and told her they'd see her at dinner.

"Mommy we're back!" Reni called out as she came into the apartment complex carrying a box of sodas and a bag of plastic cups.

Ciel walked in, holding a bag of potatoes in each arm. Hope followed with silverware in his hands.

"Well now that we have everything ready. Let's go have dinner now, shall we?" Hope asked.

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

Reni fidgeted nervously. How was she going to break the news to everyone?

Dinner had been splendid as usual. Her Aunt Fang's cooking was unparalleled, and today, the French fries were just AMAZING. Their Uncle Snow made that fact known with a loud belch that earned him a giggle from Dajh and a slap from Aunt Vanille.

Currently, everyone was working off their appetite by talking about their day.

As it drew near eleven o'clock, Reni decided it was time.

She stood, immediately gaining everyone's attention.

"Reni, what's wrong?" her mother asked.

"Umm everyone... I have something to t-tell you guys," Reni swallowed. "I-I got a letter in the mail today. It's from the Director of Admissions at KH Academy. Mom, do you remember how I applied to the academy because I wanted to find dad?"

"Of course I do honey," her mother replied.

"Well..." _Here it goes._ "I got accepted."

_Wait for it._

The reaction was priceless. Everybody jumped out of their seats in shock and cheered merrily as if they had won the lottery.

Reni laughed happily as her aunts and uncles took turns embracing her.

Uncle Snow cheered. "My niece, Reni is going to be famous! She's going to Kingdom Hearts Academy! Dang, I'm going to tell everyone at work tomorrow."

"Me too!" Hope clapped. "Reni's probably the first student from Avalon to attend there. Good for you, baby!"

Reni looked at her mother. She was crying tears of joy, sniffling and sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh sweetheart, I'm so proud of you."

Naminé came up to her and grabbed her hands. "Oh my God, Reni I am SO jealous of you. You get to go to school with Roxas Hikari!"

Reni rolled her eyes. Her cousin was obsessed with blond haired demon. As a teenager, Roxas Hikari had been a popular singer. Now an adult, he was a legend that taught Music classes at KH. To think that she would get to meet him in person. Boy, Naminé was going to have a seizure.

"So Reni," Ciel ruffled her hair, an action that irritated her. "Whose letter did you steal?"

She punched him angrily.

"I'm just joking!" Ciel laughed. "Congratulations baby sister. Give me a hug!"

Reni smiled and hugged her twin. Quite contrary to popular belief, she could be civil Ciel when she wanted to. Their sibling relationship wasn't completely comprised of hate. They had their share of touching moments as well.

"Reni, can I see the letter?" Her mother asked.

"Sure thing," She handed the letter to her mother.

Clarissa read the letter out loud.

_"Dear Miss Serenity Angel,_

_It is my pleasure to offer you admissions to Kingdom Hearts Academy.  
>As you know, you are now amongst the elite of the elite, so take a moment to congratulate yourself.<br>If you do choose to attend, be prepared. Your life will never be the same.  
>I'm sure you know this by now, but Kingdom Hearts is not just an educational institute. It is primarily a military institute.<br>As a student you will undergo rigorous combat training in preparation for the war against the Horde.  
>Before you start having second thoughts, remember that you were chosen for a reason.<br>The Admissions staff at Kingdom Hearts chooses only the best.  
>Once again, I congratulate you.<em>

_Sincerely, **P **- Director of Admissions KH._

_P.S. Orientation starts next week. See you there."_

Clarissa kissed her daughter on the head and ran a hand through her long black hair, which was put up in its usual high ponytail. Reni had inherited her looks, and Ciel, she assumed, had inherited his father's.

Reni cooed as her mother played with her hair.

"Who's P?" Ciel asked, reading his sister's letter. "All the letter says is that the dude is the Director of Admissions. Couldn't he have given us his full name or something? Way to be vague."

"P stands for Prompto," Vanille answered.

Seeing the blank stares on Clarissa and Reni's faces, she elaborated. "He's only the hottest Archdemon bachelor to ever walk this continent!"

Reni and Ciel snickered.

"Oh what?" their aunt huffed. "I have a thing for cute, playboy blonds that are _single,_ I might add. Don't give me that look Clarissa, I know you have a thing for the demon king, and don't even try to deny it! You literally drool all over the TV screen when he comes on!"

Clarissa blushed profusely. Normally, she wasn't guy crazy like Vanille, but that man, Noctis Caelum was too gorgeous for her to turn the other way.

"Anyways. Prompto is one of the richest men on the continent," Vanille stated.

"Hooooooly," Ciel gasped. "Reni, you got a letter from_ him_? It's probably made of gold paper, we could sell this for a lot of munny!"

Reni arched her eyebrow dubiously. "We are _not _selling MY acceptance letter, idiot. If you want munny so bad, go get an acceptance letter yourself. OH wait, I forgot, you can't. I'm the brains in the family."

"Mom!" Ciel faked crying and hugged his mother. "Reni's making fun of my intelligence."

Intelligence? Reni laughed. _What intelligence? _Ugh, Ciel was such a mommy's boy.

"Reni," her mother scolded playfully. "Apologize to your brother."

"Fine," Reni muttered. "I'm sorry, asshole."

"It's okay dipshit," Ciel stuck his tongue out.

"You two..." their mother growled murderously.

"Oh crap, Ciel," Reni gulped, not liking the way her mother was cracking her knuckles. "Mom's about to go mama bear on us. We better run! C-Ciel?"

Reni looked around, and found to her dismay that Ciel was already gone. _That jerk!_ How could he leave her like this? Then again... She would have done the exact same thing if she was in his position.

Frozen stiff, Reni watched in horror as her mother advanced on her. The calm, stoic look on her mother's face told her she was in for a spanking.

"M-Mom?"

"This is for your own good, sweetheart."

"M-MOMMY! NO!"

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

_One week later_

"Are we there yet?"

"Ciel," Clarissa sighed. "As much as I love you honey, if you ask me that one more time, I will throw you out of this car."

Reni snorted unladylike.

They had been traveling on the road, since 4:00 AM, for three hours now. KH was located directly on the border of demon and angel lands. Unfortunately for them, that was ridiculously far from Avalon.

Thank God Uncle Hope had let them borrow his car. Otherwise, they would have never made it to orientation on time.

It was a good thing they were almost there, Reni couldn't stand being in the same car as Ciel anymore. Honestly, why did he have to tag along? Why did her mother have to insist on him being there?

"Look outside," her mother gasped. "It's beautiful."

Reni agreed. Having lived in Avalon her whole life, she wasn't prepared for the sight of an actual, fully-developed city. People were everywhere! The streets were filled with demons and angels, each going about their daily lives.

There were also a bunch of tall buildings, or skyscrapers as her Aunt Fang called them. They were about the size of a thousand Uncle Snows.

This city in particular was built as a circle, where the main office buildings were built on the circumference. Then there was a single bridge that led to the center of the city, where the academy was. Basically, the academy was an island in the middle of the city with the ocean surrounding it.

"Wow," Reni breathed. "There are so many people. Is this how all other cities are like?"

"I don't know," Ciel stuck his head out of the window, studying the women that they passed. "But the girls here are HOT!"

"You think every girl is hot," Reni scowled.

"No, I don't think you are."

"That's a different story, we're related!"

"I think mom is hot."

Reni gagged. "That is so gross, I'm not even going to talk to you anymore." In truth, she knew Ciel was right. The reason Ciel never stayed with a girl for too long was because none of them resembled their mother. _Talk about having Oedipus Complex..._

"Why are you so riled up?" Ciel teased. "Could it be that you're jealous?"

"NO!" Reni all but screamed. "You thinking mom is hot is just wrong."

"Wrong? Says who?" Ciel asked. "Hey mom, I think you're hot. There's not a single woman in the world that's more beautiful than you are."

"Aww," their mother smiled. "Thanks baby."

"See? There's nothing wrong with a little love," Ciel answered. "It's no wonder you've never had a boyfriend before. With your dull, non-feminine charms, I don't think there's a male in Aria, with the exception of me, that would willingly come within a ten-foot radius of you."

"OH SHUT UP!" Reni shouted, hating the fact that all of Ciel's words were true. "You are so annoying!"

Ciel pressed his face against Reni's intimately. "If you want, I could teach you baby sister..."

His hot breath made her shiver. She shoved his face away. "Get away from me you perverted asshole!"

"That's enough, both of you," their mother ordered as she parked at a lot. "We're here."

"Woah," Reni breathed. The academy was its own city; it was a city within a city. Each of the academy buildings were made of glass, making the school one big architectural mural.

The crosswalks were flooded with students. The older students were wearing academy uniforms, which varied in color. Many of them were guiding the new students. Reni saw students wearing black, red, blue, and grey uniforms. She wondered why there was a distinction in color.

"Hello there!" A guy about her height came running up to them. He had tanned skin and short dark hair. He was also wearing a blue uniform. "Are you three new students here?"

_Three? _Reni wondered. Oh, he had included her mother in the count. The guy wasn't at fault. Her mother's looks were deceiving. For a woman that was supposed to be in her thirties, her mother had the looks of a girl in her early twenties, so it was no surprise she had been mistaken for a student.

"No, no, no," Clarissa replied. "This is Reni, she's a new student here. I'm her mother and that's her brother Ciel. We're both just tagging along for morale support."

"Oh... Her mother?" the guy replied. "I'm sorry for the mismatch, it's just you look really young for your age."

"Thank you, uh?"

"My name's Martin, but you can call me Mikey, I'm a 3rd year student at KH studying interrogation and torture. I'm also an orientation guide, so if you have any questions, I'm your man!" Mikey answered.

"Could you point out where the nearest restroom is?" Clarissa asked.

"Sure," Mikey beamed. "Do you see those huge staircases, leading to that oval-shaped building? If you take a right on those staircases, you should be able to find the restrooms. Do you want us to wait for you, or do you want to meet us at Uriel Hall?"

"Where's Uriel Hall? I'll meet you three there," Clarissa nodded.

"It's the oval-shaped building," Mikey informed. "All of the new students are supposed to gather there. The demon king is going to make a speech at eight."

"Did you say demon king?" Clarissa brightened up. "Demon king as in Noctis Lucis Caelum?"

"Oh no," Reni and Ciel groaned. _Here we go. _There was no stopping their mother when the king was involved.

"Yes that's correct. The one and only founder of KH Academy. At the beginning of the school year, he gives an encouragement speech to all of the first year students," Mikey stated. "It's tradition."

Reni and Ciel watched as their mother made a complete fool of herself, skipping up the stairs like a five year old.

"Uh," Reni tapped Mikey on the shoulder. "She's not our real mother."

"It's okay," Mikey laughed. "My mom embarrasses me all the time, too. So Reni do you have any questions?"

"Actually I do," Reni nodded. "How come your uniform's blue, while the other students' are red, grey and black? Is it a matter of personal preference or is there a story behind the uniform colors."

"I'm glad you asked!" Mikey grinned. "Uniforms are a huge factor in KH. The colors are based on your battle potential and skills. Take me for example, I'm in the Blue Class, which means I have to take classes with other Blue Class students. And when we do military scrimmages, I'm a part of the Blue Platoon. I'm not really a skilled fighter and my uniform is proof of it."

"So what are the rankings?"

"Grey is the default color, meaning you'll get a Grey uniform since you're a first year. And throughout your first six months as a student, your uniform will evaluate your potential. Based on your performance, you'll be sorted into either of the Blue, Red, Black, or White Classes"

"There's a White Class?" Reni scratched her head. "I haven't seen anyone wearing a white uniform yet."

"That's because there are only four students in the White Class," Mikey answered. "I said the uniform sorts you into classes based on skill and potential, right? Well, the White Class is the hardest to get into, next is Red, then Black, then Blue."

"Well Reni, I guess you'll be stuck in the Grey Class forever then," Ciel commented, "because everyone knows you can't fight to save your life."

"Well Ciel," she mimicked his tone. "I guess you'll be stuck in NO class forever because you can't even get into KH!"

_Take that!_

"Don't make me laugh," Ciel pinched the bridge of his nose. "If I was a student here, the uniform would have such a hard time trying to measure my vast potential that it'd just put in the Rainbow Class for my awesomeness."

"You are so gay," Reni grunted.

"Nuh-uh," Ciel shook his head. "I love women."

"Exactly my point."

It took Ciel a while to process the insult, but he finally got it. "HEY!"

"Anyways Mikey, ignore this idiot. Don't waste your breath on inferior beings like him," Reni smirked while Ciel fumed. "He's not on our intellectual level. So, who are these four students of the White Class?"

"You might know them," Mikey explained. "The first two students are the demon prince and princess or better known as the twin Seraphs, Lucien and Lucia."

Reni's eyes widened. "They go to KH? You mean they're students here?"

"Of course," Mikey stated indulgently. "You probably won't see them often though. The White Class is taught by the demon king himself. For the most part, when the White Class isn't on the battlefield, they're studying in the demon palace. On rare occasions and events, they'll probably be at the academy. Like today, I forgot to mention, the White Class is here at orientation."

"Oh. My. God," Reni paused for a moment of silence at the epic-ness that was turning out to be today. "Who are the other two students?"

"They're members of a royal demon family, Haven and Shahara Glass. The Glasses are world class assassins that answer only to the demon king," Mikey stretched his arms. "Basically, if you harm either Lucien or Lucia, the Glasses will come after your ass with a vengeance. Don't get me wrong, the prince and princess can take care of themselves, but the Glasses were extra measures that the demon king took to ensure the safety of his children."

"Ah, I see. Mikey, are there special privileges that each class gets?"

"Boy, you're reading my mind. I was just going to go over that," Mikey laughed. "To answer your question, yes there are. But, I don't really know much about them, since I'm in the Blue Class."

Mikey continued. "In order to bolster competition and hard work ethic, the demon king ruled that students of a higher class could order students of a lower class to do whatever they wanted them to as long as the requests were reasonable."

"For example," Mikey lifted his index finger. "Let's say, a Black Class student came up to me and ordered me to do a hundred push-ups, I'd have to do it, or else my uniform would see that as a lack of discipline, eventually if I kept refusing to comply with the Black Class student's orders, I'd get kicked out of school."

"But doesn't that mean bullying is allowed?"

Mikey nodded. "Yep, you got it. In KH there are no rules that forbid bullying. You won't be spoon fed or saved by the teachers here. The Headmaster's philosophy is every man for himself. If you want respect, you have to earn it."

"Do people get bullied a lot?"

"All the time," Mikey grinned. "Mainly, the bullies come from the Black Class."

"Why not the Red Class or the White Class?" Reni asked.

"I don't know. I guess it's because the White Class can't waste time picking on others."

"And the Red Class?"

"The Red Class is unique. Despite the fact that the Red Class are masters of the battlefield, the students are REALLY childish. They spend more time terrorizing each other than they do terrorizing other classes."

"How are they childish?" Reni asked again. Her questions never seemed to run out. She couldn't help it; life at the academy was so interesting compared to life at her school in Avalon.

"One reason is the stupid nicknames that the students give each other. The Blue and Red Class once had a scrimmage with each other in a game of Capture the Flag. It was the most confusing scrimmage I ever took part in," Mikey shuttered. "Can you imagine being attacked by numbers and suits from a deck of playing cards? During that whole match, I was being chased by a 'Seven', an 'Eight' and a 'Deuce'."

"That actually does sound terrifying," Reni laughed. "Was there a 'Jack', a 'Queen' or a 'King'?"

"I don't know," Mikey chuckled at the absurdity of the notion. "If there was, they weren't chasing me."

A loud bell chimed in the distance.

"Oh!" Mike jumped. "It's time to make our way to Uriel Hall, the king's speech is about to start. If you have any other questions, I'll answer them later."

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

Clarissa walked out of the nicest bathroom she had ever seen.

Still focused on her experience, she didn't notice the figure walking towards her. Consequently, she ran into the person.

"Oof," she groaned, rubbing her head. Jeez did she just run into moving wall? "I'm sorry," she apologized immediately. "I wasn't paying attention."

"You're sorry?" Came the baritone voice's dubious reply.

She slowly raised her gaze up the man's body. He was dressed in an expensive White uniform. Clarissa gasped when her eyes made contact with his. She had never seen a person with crystal green eyes.

The man, she noticed, was a student. However, everything about him screamed that he was a seductive predator with his dark blue hair styled into messy spikes and his ears studded with silver earrings.

In any other case, Clarissa would definitely have considered this young man attractive, but there was a rugged aura about him that reeked of malice and dominance. It was almost as if the man believed he owned the world.

"Are you listening?" the man asked. Oh God, his velvet voice made her shutter.

"I'm sorry," Clarissa inclined her head.

The man grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his haunting green eyes. "So what are you going to do about it? You ruined my uniform, girl."

_Girl?_ Clarissa gasped. She was old enough to be his mother. How dare he act high and mighty with her? Maybe it was time to show him what Avalon cops did to arrogant assholes.

"If you're so upset about it," Clarissa snarled. "Go wash it yourself! Or is _mommy_ not here to do it for you?"

The man clenched his fist, taken aback by this woman's insolence. Didn't this bitch know who he was? No one ever mentioned his mother in his presence, not if they wanted to live.

"You little bitch," he gnashed his teeth and shoved her roughly against the bathroom walls. "You really don't know who I am, do you?"

Clarissa tried to get out his hold, but he was just too strong. What the hell was this guy made of? It felt as if she was trapped against an iron cage.

Hearing his spiteful words, she couldn't help but feel a sliver of dread enter her body.

Something in the back of her head told her she knew who he was. She prayed to God she was wrong.

"Lucien!" A blue-haired woman called after the man.

Clarissa groaned. She was right. The man standing in front of her with a murderous gleam in his eyes was none other than the demon king's son, the Seraph, Lucien. Why couldn't she have just kept her temper in check? Why did she have to piss off one of the most dangerous men in the kingdom?

_Like father like son_, she thought. It was no surprise the prince was so violent when his father was the deadliest man in the world.

"Lucien are you listening?"

"Fuck off, Lucia. I'm busy," Lucien growled.

The prince's twin, Lucia changed her soft demeanor in an instant. Living up to her title as the Ice Princess, she angrily grabbed Lucien by the ear and pulled him away. If there was one person that was on par with the prince in terms of temper, it was his twin.

"What the hell did you say to me?" Lucia barked. She was known for being society's most elegant lady, a stoic woman that rarely spoke. It was strange for Clarissa to see the princess acting in such a way. "Stop wasting your time with the human and get your ass to Uriel Hall. Father wants to see us."

"Fine," Lucien quieted at the mention of his father. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, bitch. You're dead." He gave the dark-haired woman one last glare before walking away.

"Human," Lucia scowled as if their conversation sickened her. "If you know what's best for you, stay away from my brother. He _will_ kill you the next time he sees you. No one has ever insulted him and gotten away with it."

Clarissa nodded.

"Farewell then," the princess inclined her head before following after her twin.

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

A/N: Soooo. Good or bad? Continue? o.O

Anyways, the reason I made this chapter so long is because this is a pilot of sorts. I'm introducing everything in this chapter, and if you guys like it, I'll make more. Also, my fall quarter starts this week, so I won't be able to update in a LONG ass time. So before I start classes, I wanted to at least leave you guys with something. So thanks! Leave a review and tell me what you thought of it or ask any question that you have!


	2. My Roommate is an Asshole

**Serenity**

**A/N**: Hey guys, I'm back! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading :)

**Chapter 2: My Roommate is an Asshole**

Reni gasped as Mikey led her and Ciel into the auditorium. Words couldn't describe how majestic and ancient the building's architecture was. The ceiling had to be at least a hundred feet high! Decorated on it were figures of angels and demons clashing, and where their colors met, a diamond chandelier hung, illuminating the room.

What she wasn't surprised by, however, was the vast number of students and parents bustling through the aisles of seats, trying to find their spots. If she had to take a modest estimate, she'd have to say that at least ten thousand students and parents were in the room.

Ciel whistled.

"That's a lot of people," Reni remarked.

"And every one of them is _a lot _smarter than you," Ciel snickered.

Reni narrowed her eyes, but ignored the urge to reply to that comment.

"Well this is it. Welcome to Uriel Hall," Mikey exclaimed brightly. "I have to go now, but I'm sure you guys will be fine without me. Just find empty seats and make yourselves comfortable. The king will deliver his commencement speech any moment now."

"But Mikey!" Reni protested. "I still have questions to ask!"

Mikey turned his head and flashed her a grin. "Reni, I can't spoon feed you anymore. My job as a counselor was to deliver students to Uriel Hall. This is KH, you're on your own now. Don't worry, I know you can do it."

"B-But..."

Without a moment's hesitation, the dark skinned boy opened the auditorium doors and exited, leaving the two twins completely lost among the busy crowd.

Slightly annoyed at Mikey's successful attempt at abandoning ship, Reni crinkled her nose. She was in the process of looking for seats when Ciel nudged her.

"What?"

"We're the only humans in the auditorium," her brother pointed out. "I thought you said there were going to be other humans at this academy."

She hated to admit it, but her brother was right. A sliver of dread ran up her spine as her examination of the room validated Ciel's observation. So the question now was, where were the other humans?

The flock of angels and horde of demons were endless. That much was obvious from the aura of aristocracy that pervaded the air. Angels and demon were the highest on the social hierarchy, followed by half-breeds, then humans.

As much as the demon king tolerated humans, Reni knew that the majority of demons and angels still despised her kind, no matter what position she or any of her kind held. Soon, she found herself the subject and primary focus of many malevolent glares and snide remarks.

It seemed rude manners were prevalent even among the 'aristocracy'.

A dozen demon students openly sneered at her as she tried to look for seats. Although the angels were better at masking their emotions, Reni could feel the bitterness they harbored towards her.

Sheesh, she thought. What exactly had her race done to elicit such ill intent from both the angel and demon races?

Ignoring the gazes boring into her skull, Reni dragged Ciel towards three empty seats that only by Lady Luck's good graces did they manage to acquire.

"Shit you'd think we were a walking circus having everyone stare at us," Ciel murmured. "Are you really sure this is the school you want to go to?"

Reni was having second thoughts, but the only way she would ever find her father—if he was alive—was to become _someone_, and to become _someone_, she had to be a KH student.

"Yes."

"Well, have fun being the only human here." Ciel glanced over his shoulder, only to receive another hostile glare. "By the looks of it, it seems you'll be having _lots_ of fun."

"I know."

"That was sarcasm by the way."

"I know!"

Reni sat on a cushioned chair and folded her arms angrily. Ciel's_ witty_ remarks had left her in a foul mood. And just where in the world was their mother?

Sighing, she wished that the ground would open up and swallow everyone in the room, including Ciel, that way she'd be left alone. She closed her eyes, counted to ten, then opened them. Looking to her right, she noticed Ciel was still alive, and so was everyone else in the room. _Bleh, what a fail._

As she yawned, the majestic red stage curtains parted, silencing the audience. The auditorium dimmed as a tall, imposing figure made his way to center stage. Upon recognizing who the figure was, the audience cried out.

Reni swore she heard Ciel comment that people in the audience were having multiple orgasms, but she wasn't sure. The overwhelming amount of applause given by the audience made it impossible to discern anything.

As the lights returned, Reni sucked in a breath. The man was ungodly beautiful, and the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Never in her life had Reni met anyone so perfect that she felt ashamed to be in their presence.

Until now.

Reni assumed this man could only be the demon king and founder of KH, Noctis Lucis Caelum. She had only caught glimpses of him whenever her mother watched television segments on him, but she had never really paid any attention then. If she had, she'd be a sucker for him like her mother was.

The demon king, who was supposedly older than mankind, looked like he was her age. There was a hard look in his eyes, however, that distinguished him from the young students. He was a natural ruler there was no doubt about it.

The dark haired king waited patiently for the torrent of cries to end. Only then did he address his audience.

Reni nearly melted when he spoke. He spoke in simple, yet eloquent sentences that his words themselves were art. He had a dangerous, seductive voice that could influence even the hearts of the most stubborn headed. At that moment, Reni wanted nothing more but to do anything that would gain his attention or do anything that would garner a compliment from him.

His presence was alluring, and Reni wasn't the only one affected. Everyone was.

"Good evening," The king spoke. "Thank you for the warm reception. Although I doubt praise is the last thing I'll be receiving after I deliver this long, boring speech, It's encouraging to know that _some _people do actually admire me."

Reni smiled. The more and more the king progressed through his speech, the more and more her admiration for him grew. The king was an absolute silver-tongued charmer, who had an astounding way with words.

"As you know, Kingdom Hearts Academy places enormous emphasis on self-development. At the academy, students will grow as independent scholars and soldiers," The king paused. "Learning combat skills far beyond modern technique, and placed under the care of our faculty, students can expect to receive the best education possible. After all, of the one million students that applied for this term, KH accepted only _one_ percent."

At the realization of that statistic, the parents in the room spontaneously showered their children with love.

"All of you sitting here in this auditorium are official members of an elite institution," the king affirmed. "You are the future generation that will lead us in the war against the Horde. Although it pains me to say so, the Horde has become a problem too severe to ignore any longer."

"However, since I _have _to end this speech on a good note—after all it is an encouragement speech—I want to congratulate you all once again. Let's make this year, one that will last."

The king stepped away from the mic and brought his hands together in applause. The whole room followed suit, rose to their feet, and clapped.

"Where's mom?" Ciel asked, clapping along. "She couldn't have been using the bathroom for an hour."

"Maybe she couldn't find us," Reni replied, stretching out her arms. "We should look around a bit."

"Oh by the way, what'd you think?"

"Of what?" Reni asked.

Ciel rolled his eyes and motioned at the king with his head.

"He's _extremely _hot."

"I don't like him at all," Ciel frowned.

"I figured you wouldn't," Reni flicked her hair over her shoulders.

"Why's that?"

"Your vanity can't stand the fact that a man much more desirable than you exists," Reni smiled. "The truth is, King Noctis is more of man that you could ever wish to be."

"Meh," Ciel snorted. It was obvious his little sister was high. "I don't like him because he's dangerous. Didn't you notice the way the whole audience swooned when he spoke? Imagine how easy it is for him to manipulate people. He's not a person I'd take too lightly."

"Woah little brother, you've got it ass backwards," Reni replied. "Noctis Lucis Caelum is on _our_ side. He's the king of _our _country. If you want to pity somebody, pity the Horde. Those creatures are absolute idiots for making an enemy out of him."

"Well if he's so bad ass like everyone makes him out to be, why doesn't he go out to the Wilderness himself and kill all those things?" Ciel retorted. He wasn't going to give way in this debate anytime soon.

"You really have to brush up on your history, Ciel. The reason the king can't do that is because he's cursed. When the Horde first arrived from the south, he was the one that decimated their race and thwarted their expansion."

"However," Reni continued. "Before the original Four Kings, the leaders of the Horde, were slaughtered, they managed to bind him with a spell. In order to ensure the continuation of their race, the Four Kings placed a curse on him that made it so that wherever the Horde settles, he's forbidden to enter."

"So he can defend our country, but he can't lead the offensive?" Ciel folded his arms. "How lame is that?"

"Of course, naturally that means the new Four Kings have the advantage over us," Reni explained. "Our leader is restrained to boundaries, whereas theirs aren't. Either way, curse or no curse, I'd rather have King Noctis on our side than their kings."

"Good point," Ciel agreed. Examining the demon king once more, he rubbed his chin. There was something about the way the king presented himself that bothered him. Although on the outside, the king was poised and professional, it seemed like he was harboring something terrible deep within him.

Ciel shivered.

Normally, he didn't judge, but he didn't like Noctis Lucis Caelum.

The man was too powerful.

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

"MOM!" Reni shouted as she spotted her mother sitting on the hood of Uncle Hope's car. Running towards her mother, Reni noticed that she looked depressed, defeated even, almost as if the world had come crashing down around her.

It was unusual to see her mother like this.

"M-mom, what's wrong?" She asked. Her worries grew when she found out her mother was crying! What kind of catastrophic event had occurred that managed to evoke tears from her strong-willed mother? That a terrible question because nothing could make her mother cry!

Nothing!

Clarissa pulled her daughter into her arms, not caring about the mess her tears were making. Good grief, she was pathetic. What kind of mother cried in front of her daughter?

"It's nothing," she replied, wiping her tears.

"But!"

"I'm fine sweetheart," she lied.

Reni sighed and let her arguments die. It would only be detrimental to her mother's health if she persisted with her questions. After all, everyone had secrets, and not everyone wanted to share them.

Clarissa held her daughter tightly. Reni's embrace was her only means of escaping the strange visions and haunting scenes in head, visions of two baby twins crying, and scenes of an unfamiliar woman dying at the hands of Death.

The visions had taken her by surprise, crippling her mentally, and leaving her speechless.

For images in her head, they seemed too real.

And for some reason, her mind couldn't process what it was seeing, but her body could, and it reacted each scene, almost as if it was a separate entity. Although she didn't know who the two twins in her visions were, tears streaked down her cheeks in anguish nonetheless.

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

"Well this is it," Ciel smiled. "You finally get to live on your own. No more loving brother to guide your every step."

"And what a relief that is," Reni stuck her tongue out as she pulled her luggage out of the trunk. Everything from bed sheets, comforters to clothes had been stuffed into two over sized bags.

Ciel walked over to her and held out his hands, "Here let me take those for you."

"Sure," Reni replied, happy to relieve herself of the weights.

"Sike!" Ciel laughed and hopped into the passengers seat. "See you in a year baby sister."

"Oh my God! MOM! Why did you have to create that THING?" Reni screamed, pulling at her mother's dress in order to make her see the error of her ways. "He's absolutely of no benefit to the world or anyone on it whatsoever!"

Clarissa smiled, absolutely smitten by the sight of her adorable daughter's frustration, and the way she twirled her fingers through her raven colored locks when she was angry.

"I love you too."

"That's not fair," Reni frowned. "You can't make me _not_ be angry at you."

Clarissa pinched her daughter's cheeks, "I wasn't aware I could do that."

"Well you can," Reni murmured before hugging her mother around the waist. "Mom, I promise I'll find dad. And when I do, I'm going to make him sorry he ever left you. Of course, in time we'll forgive him, well... Only after he takes us all out to dinner at a luxurious restaurant."

"I can't wait."

"I'm going to miss you mommy," Reni shouldered her bags.

Eyes full of mirth, Clarissa brushed her daughter's hair aside and kissed her on the cheek.

"Go get 'em sweetheart."

**౦****ം****౦****ം****౦****ം**

A gentle wind swept through Reni's hair as she made her way to the courtyard, where all the new students were gathering. By this time, the sun had already set, but the academy remained brightly lit by what appeared to be floating lanterns.

Of course this mattered little to her. What did matter was how friggin' awesome the architecture of the student dormitories were.

There were four different types of buildings, each belonging to a different class. This, she figured, was apparent by the grey, blue, black, and red colored banners hanging on buildings.

The buildings were relatively close to each other, so it wasn't surprising that class conflict was common. What was surprising though was that even the Grey Class dormitory looked like it had been designed by Michelangelo AND Giorgio Vasari.

What she also noticed was that the design of the dormitories drastically improved based on class ranking. Whereas the Grey Class's dorms were collections of mansions—not that she was complaining—the other classes had buildings that were literally fancy skyscrapers.

Arriving at the courtyard, she was relieved that she wasn't the only student stupefied by their future homes. Despite being angel and demon royalty, the other new students were in awe of the dormitories.

There was a long line of casually dressed students waiting for something, so she acted on her natural impulse and joined in.

"Excuse me," she asked a female student. "What is this line for?"

"This is the line to get your uniform," the student replied curtly.

"Oh," that made sense. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

The line went by quickly, and soon, Reni found herself at the front of the line, where rows of desks, piled with grey uniforms, were set next to each other. The middle aged lady at the desk politely asked for her name.

"Serenity Angel," she answered.

"Small?"

She nodded and received her uniform. "Um excuse me, where do I go after this?"

"Hmm let me see," the lady checked her watch. "You still have an hour before the mandatory class gatherings start, so I would recommend that you check into your room and have all of your belongings unloaded."

"That sounds like a very good idea," Reni stated. "Thank yo–Oh wait! How do I know what room I'll be in?"

The lady looked up at her and smiled, "You'll find out."

Taken aback by the lady's blunt answer, Reni left the line puzzled. Looking at the mansions decorated with grey colored banners, she was mildly relieved that she at least knew where to start searching.

She didn't have to put too much effort into searching. On a stone tablet at the center of the Grey Class mansions were the names of the students in the Grey Class and their room numbers.

Reni memorized her room number and walked to the corresponding building.

Stopping at the door of an ancient mansion, she was prompted for verification via hand scanning. The scan lasted for a second, but it was the coolest thing ever, although the maximum security protocol involved with each dormitory was something she could have lived without.

The interior decoration of the dormitory was—how to describe?—simply _astonishing_.

As soon as she stepped into the building and the glass doors closed behind her, she immediately knew that she was immersed in a different world. The elaborate decorations and unique structure of the interior was something only the Gods could produce.

All of her life, she had been constrained to pitiful restraints of her uncle's apartment. She had only dreamed of living in a palace such as this. Out there, she was an outcast, a lowly human, but in here, she was a princess.

And she wanted more.

This small taste of royalty and wealth paved way to an insatiable desire for riches. To put it simply, she wanted to be filthy rich. So rich that neither she nor her family would ever be treated like trash.

The sound of the running water drew her out of her thoughts. Reni continued her self-tour of her new abode, and found, to her ever growing amazement, that there was a freakin' enormous fountain of water in the middle of what she believed to be was the common room.

What's more, the other Grey Class students were gathered around the fountain, making acquaintances with one another.

For students of the default class, her peers certainly didn't seem weak or frail. They were all formidable students that radiated unique auras of intellect and athleticism.

As she passed them on her way to the escalators—yes _escalators_—many of the students exchanged introductions and pleasantries with her.

Taking three escalators to the fourth floor and lugging her heavy bags across the hallway, she stopped at the room labeled (**423**) and slid her card key into the slot. The door slid open, revealing the room that she would be living in.

It was beyond her expectations in terms of design and space, all of that was lovely, but she had never factored that she'd be sharing the room with another student, a male no less.

And from an initial inspection of her roommate, she already knew that trouble was looming around the corner.

The brown-haired boy didn't even bother to acknowledge her as she made her way further into their room. He kept his gaze fixated on his laptop, looking at God knows what.

Setting her things down, on a vacant bed, she walked over to her roommate in order to introduce herself.

"Hi I'm Reni," she greeted.

Her roommate made no indication that he heard her and kept typing away.

_Ooookaaay... Let's try this again..._ Sucking in a breath, she repeated, this time raising her voice slightly, "Hi my na—"

"You don't have to shout," her roommate replied in harsh monotone, never taking his eyes off of his laptop. "I'm right in front of you."

Extending her arm, she tried a different approach, "Well, my name is Reni. It's nice to meet you."

Her roommate continued to ignore her.

"You know, you could at least pretend you heard me. You don't have to be so rude," she finally stated. "I mean, I'm just trying to be friendly."

That must have hit a spot because the tone of her roommate's voice grew harsh.

"Look Rita, or whatever your name is, I didn't ask for your _kindness__. _As a matter of fact, let's lay down some ground rules. I don't speak nor associate myself with _filthy_ humans, okay?"

Reni gasped, offended by the brown haired boy's remark.

"I don't know you. I don't even wan't to get to know you, but more importantly, I don't want _you_ to know about me, okay? You stay the hell out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

The boy ended his sentence with a crude scoff.

Pride smarting from her roommate's insulting words, Reni drew her hand back and slapped the boy.

Well, she tried to.

Inches before making contact with boy's face, her hand was caught at the wrist.

Reni froze. _My __God he's fast_. How in the hell he had stopped her while keeping his eyes glued to the computer screen was a mystery that not even Sherlock Holmes could solve. There was only one reasonable explanation for this... _He must know kung-fu. _

The boy stood, towering at least five inches above her. The anger in his cold, brown eyes was evident, but restrained at the same time. His gaze, however, was so scalding that she had to diverther eyes to the floor.

_Oh God,_ she was positive that he was going to hit her.

But he didn't.

"Don't piss me off," he stated.

After minutes locked in a deathly staring contest, the boy finally released her wrist and turned back to the computer.

Reni walked back to her bed with her head hanging in defeat. Perhaps she had been expecting too much. She was human, so it was only natural that people would abhor her.

Noticing a piece of paper hanging above the bed frame, she pried it off of the wall and examined it.

_Serenity Angel  
><em>Age 16  
>Grey Class<br>Human

Class Schedule

Class 96A — Music Composition/Intro. to Music  
><em>Instructor: <em>**Hikari **  
>MWF<br>Seraphim Museum _1100_

Class 1C — Combat Training/Martial Arts  
><em>Instructor<em>: **Lockhart**  
>T<br>Ammon Field

Class 1 — Angel and Demon Society  
><em>Instructor:<em> **Glass**  
>TR<br>Sariel Hall _300_

Class 200E — Royal Etiquette  
><em>Instructor<em>: **Glass**  
>W<br>Palace of Glass, _Main Room_

Military Training 1 — Weapons  
><em>Instructor<em>: **Leonhart**  
>MTWTRF<br>Saints Battlefield

Military Training 2 — Platoons/Class Tactics  
><em>Instructor<em>: **Caelum**  
>SSu<br>Saints Battlefield

From her simple perusal of her schedule, Reni knew she was in for a tough year, but the fact that she was actually here, at KH, holding a class schedule in her hands was encouraging. She could do this!

Her goal was set. She was going to find her father, and nothing was going to stop her.

Not even her roommate.

_That asshole._

౦ം౦ം౦ം

**A/N**: Okay, so that concludes chapter two. I finally finished my fall quarter, which kicked my ass. Sorry for the super duper late update, but I waaarned you :O

Anyways, I really don't know how to say this, but I don't know what I'm going to do with this story, _Serenity_. Honestly, I have the whole plot thought out. All I have to do is transfer my thoughts to the screen, but it isn't that simple. I just don't know what to do. I feel like I'm burdening you guys with all these OC's, and that Noctis and Lightning are losing their limelight.

The way I thought of Serenity, I was going for gradual Lightis, but I don't think myself or you guys can wait that long.

I feel like Serenity would be a kickass story if I could actually complete it. I have so many awesome things in store, but I'm not patient. I don't even know what to do. A reader also suggested that I hand this fic off to another writer, and that's what I'm considering.

I want to write Lightis, I need Lightis, but the way Serenity is going, Lightis will happen in later chapters.

I hope you guys understand what I'm going through. If worse case scenario does happen and I discontinue this fic, I'll go back to writing _actual_ Lightis fics, so that's reassuring. I have a couple of other Lightis fics in mind, but I wanted to at least finish Serenity or find a solution for my dilemma.

Anyways, thanks for listening to my rant :P

You guys are just awesome.


	3. Wings of Resurrection

**Serenity**

A/N: Hope you guys like this chapter. Things are finally going to heat up. I really had to rack my brain to get this one finished! Thanks to everyone that reviewed Chapter 2! It's nice to know you guys haven't given up on Serenity! **MassMurderer, 4000kills, Henrietta Skylink, MDA, Oblivion Star Seeker, nie261, Mecholisskat, smileymeme, AquaticSilver, AkiDreamz, TigerRaiken, Dark Angel, Loveless Melody, aquabutterfly1000, DarkBlueLynx, quasi una fantasia, FlowersN'Stars, Bob, MidnightReader1, snowlily, Ashelia Lucis Caelum, The SilverLight!**

**Chapter 3: Wings of Resurrection**

It was a sad day for the Avalon Law Enforcement Department. A shroud of terror lingered over each and every one of the many rooms in the massive law enforcement building.

The many police officers and military personnel hung their heads in absolute defeat. Who would have ever thought that the unthinkable—no, the _impossible_ could happen?

The news that the veteran General of Avalon Law, Richard Lusk was murdered in a bloody battle against the horde struck the hearts of everyone in the law enforcement department, viciously marring their morale.

No one ever thought the day would come when the cheerful, loud-mouthed, brawny old General would be defeated. Hell, even the new recruits thought the invincible, old man would outlive them all.

Clarissa brushed a tear aside. General Lusk had been a father to her, taking her in under his wing when she was a recruit and teaching her everything there was to know about being a cop. Many times, he had scolded her for being too brash and arrogant, reminding her that the only dead cops were those who tried to play hero.

The old man had even gone so far as to lecture her for being stubborn while she laid paralyzed in a hospital ward after being in severe accident.

Just the thought that the Horde had managed to eliminate a man as powerful as her mentor was frightening. Although he was of minor demon descent, General Lusk was said to have been on par with greater demons in terms of strength. He was definitely, by far, the strongest man she had ever met.

And despite her being human, he had kindly accepted her as his personal assistant.

Clarissa winced as a sudden screeched reverberated through every room.

"Officer Angel please report to the Red room," An officer requested through the damaged intercom. "I repeat, Officer Angel please report to the Red room. Your presence is required immediately."

She already knew why they wanted her. As the ex-General's attendant, she had managed his files in his absence and attended to his missions when he was occupied. Now, Avalon Law wanted her to become acquaintances with the new General that they had procured.

From the ever present rumors, she learned that the new General was quite young, but well-versed in the art of war nonetheless. Apparently, though she doubted it was true, the new General was stronger than General Lusk, and had been sent by the Demon King himself.

Clarissa strolled along the plain grey hallways, passing different departments on her way, but the atmosphere remained the same. It was evident that General Lusk had left lasting impressions on everyone.

She finally reached the Red room and pulled the door open. Inside, a group of high ranking officers sat around a metal table, patiently waiting for her to do the same. Seeing the half of the men in military attire, she realized that the issue at hand was serious. General Lusk hadn't been killed during a reconnaissance mission into the Wilderness, he had been slain while patrolling the border, which meant the Horde were preparing to invade.

At that moment one of the commanding officers entered the room. She along with the other officers stood as a gesture of respect. The protocol was new to her, but she knew that the man deserved respect.

"You may sit," The elderly white-haired colonel ordered. "Except for you Officer Angel. The General has just arrived from his long flight from the demon palace. I expect you to attend to his _every_ need while he is here. Any insubordination and it will be the end of your career, understood?"

"Y-Yes sir!" Clarissa replied. So it was just as she had expected. She would be playing maid for the new General as she had done for General Lusk. It couldn't be that bad now that she thought of it.

"The General is in his quarters. Go introduce yourself to him. I'm sure he's quite weary by now, the pleasantries shouldn't take long. You are dismissed!"

Clarissa took the Colonel's weary tone to heart and left the room before he could say anything else. Once again, she found herself weaving through puzzling hallways. Honestly, the new general had better be worth her effort, or else someone was going to pay.

Frustrated with the role she had to play, she should have waited until her anger sizzled down before entering the room, but she went in nonetheless.

The room was fairy clean which was fine, for now, considering that the General had only just arrived. Slightly weary and hearing that the General was using the shower, Clarissa lay on the massive bed. For some time, she laid there, gazing at the ceiling, until the sound of falling water stopped.

Clarissa stood and evened out the wrinkles that had form on her uniform. It wouldn't do her any to make a bad first impression on her boss.

The bathroom door slid open. A man with an ungodly physique walked out of the room with only a towel around his waist. It was next to impossible _not_ to drool all over his jagged, ripped abs. The dim lighting of the room only outlined the edges of his muscles even more.

Phew, was it just her or was it getting hot? Never mind that, would she be considered a cougar if she went after _that_?

Clarissa waited patiently, mentally obsessing over the General's luscious body, while he dried his hair with the towel. She prayed the man's looks were as good his body. And if that _was _the case, God help both of them.

God this was so bad! She wanted nothing more than to pounce on the General. Ashamed of her lewd thoughts, she tore her gaze away from his body.

"Who the hell are you?" The general questioned in an all-too-familiar, baritone voice.

_Oh no, no, no._

Clarissa closed her eyes. If that voice belonged to who she thought it did then she took all of her thoughts back. She looked into the General's equally shocked face and found herself staring into the crystal eyes of Lucien Caelum. Yup, it was official; the fates were really fucked up pieces of shits.

"You!" The Seraph growled angrily as he recognized who she was. The expression on his face was not pleasant.

Once again, Clarissa found herself subject to the Seraph's unparalleled strength. Lucien Caelum took a hold of her wrist and roughly tossed her onto his bed. Although she did put up a fight, she was no match for him. He easily pinned her against the bed, trapping her arms over her head.

"Well, well," the Demon King's son smiled maliciously. "Isn't this funny? I've been waiting for this opportunity for so long and here you are. I told you I wouldn't forget about you, bitch."

"Yo—" Clarissa tried to curse, but the Seraph quickly covered her lips with his hand.

"I have to say, I never would have thought that Clarissa Angel, my new personal assistant, was the same woman that dared to insult me." Lucien laughed. "Seriously what were the chances?"

Clarissa writhed in absolute disgust as the King's son slipped his hand under her shirt, slowly rubbing circles around her cold, stomach.

"You want this, don't you?" Lucien motioned to his body then slid his hand higher until it rested on the valley between her breasts. "Damn, you've got some nice tits for a human woman."

Unable to handle any more of this shameful humiliation, Clarissa twisted her body in attempt to free herself, but once again, it was useless. She couldn't break free. She'd have to subject herself to whatever perverse act the Seraph had on his mind. It was so sickening, she wanted to cry.

Then as if the fates had decided to hear her silent pleas, a phone rang. Lucien clenched his teeth, hearing his private, cell phone ring. Whoever was calling had better have a damn, good reason as to why they were interrupting him.

Letting go of his assistant, Lucien grabbed the phone, but made sure to block the exit.

"What the hell do you want Lucia?" He barked into his cell.

Clarissa didn't waste this opportunity. She ran headfirst into the Seraph and found out that wasn't the brightest thing to do. The Seraph predicted her actions the minute she got up and swatted her aside like a fly. The difference in power between them was too much. Comparing a Seraph like Lucien to a small human like herself was like comparing a human to an ant.

"Am I angry? No, I'm just fucking yelling at you because it makes me happy," Lucien sneered at the sheer idiocy of the question posed by his twin. "No SHIT, I'm angry." He ruffled his hair in frustration. His stupid _bitch_ of a sister was starting to irritate him.

Lucien sucked in a breath, "I'll take whatever tone I want with you."

Lifting herself up, Clarissa walked towards the Seraph with only one thought in mind. Something in her head told her that _this_ would work. Her mind almost guaranteed that it would and that it had in the past when she was in a situation similar to this one.

So she drew her leg back and kicked the prince in between the legs where the sun almost never shined. Human or not, the move was super effective—it always was against males. Lucien dropped his phone and knelt over, grabbing his manhood. The fact that he had only been wearing a towel made the blow even more excruciating. He couldn't believe the bitch had the audacity to damage his precious family heirloom.

"Next time you try to pull that shit on me," Clarissa breathed raggedly. "I'll kill you. Do you honestly think that you can do whatever you want just because you're some prince, just because Noctis Lucis Caelum is your father? Grow up."

"Hah!" Lucien laughed despite being in a humiliating position. "Come tomorrow, I'm going to fucking rape you, I guarantee it. You better run while you can cause you won't _ever_ be walking again once I'm done with you."

Clarissa shuddered at the prince's brutal threat, but remained vigilant, "I think you're forgetting about something. There isn't going to be a tomorrow, you'll never see me again. I quit."

"Is that so?" Lucien questioned from the floor. His tone was so arrogant it was frightening. "I guess you wouldn't mind then if your daughter, oh so happened, to be expelled from the academy that she loves so much. You quit, and I'll make damn sure that she does as well."

"You bastard!" Clarissa hissed. In her anger, she lost control of her wit. "I can't believe that you would resort to blackmail. Your mother would roll in her grave if she could see you now. I guess she wasn't too bright _leaving_ you with that father of yours." _Shit,_ she must have totally lost her mind. Those were the words of suicidal people, and she knew it as soon as they slipped out of her mouth. If there was someone you didn't mention around the Seraph, it was his mother.

The room started to crackle with ominous energy. Lucien rose to his feet, with an expression of pure anger on his face. Clarissa slowly backed away, terrified at the sight the Seraph's monstrous dark energy. T-This was a Seraph's true power...

"Never," he stated without emotion. "Talk about my mother like that again, or I will kill you."

Before she could take another breath, Lucien razed an entire hallway with his fist. The ceilings, along with the windows, came crumbling down, unable to withstand the magnificent power of the Seraph.

"Get out!" He snapped.

Clarissa left the building quicker than she thought was possible. She didn't even bother to stop to answer her frightened co-workers questions. Right now, she had to leave. That was the best thing to do. Damn, she really fucked up, and a good chunk of the Department building had paid for it.

Outside, the ex-cop lingered around a deserted bus stop. She paced in front of a rusted bench while waiting for the closest bus to come take her home. For some reason, the devastated look on the Seraph's face wouldn't leave her mind.

She paused to catch a breath and steady herself. Her knees were shaking wildly from the sight of the severe destruction Prince Lucien had caused. To think that hole in the department building could have been her... Thank God the prince had shown some restraint. He was known to have killed others for less.

Well... there was nothing she could do about it anymore. The best course of action would be to move on and search for a new job, preferably one that didn't involve angry Seraphs.

**_Ring! Ring!_**

Clarissa fumbled her pockets for her phone, "Hello?"

"M-Mommy...?" Serenity sniffled into the speaker—she was crying.

"Honey what's wrong?" Clarissa asked anxiously. "Why are you crying, baby?"

"E-Everyone hates me here—my jerk of a roommate hates me, my teachers hate me, and all the other students hate me—and now I'm in trouble... I s-swear I didn't do it! _They _tricked me, you have to believe me..."

"Baby calm down, you're not making sense," she whispered. It broke her heart to hear her daughter so devastated and scared. "Take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Why are you in trouble?"

"I got framed by a group of girls. They were nice to me at first, but then one of the girls told to me to go fetch her purse from the auditorium. I did as she said and took her purse, but the purse actually belonged to Princess Lucia. The minute I got my hands on the bag, they came in with the princess and accused me of stealing it!"

Clarissa balled her fists. How dare those kids hurt her baby. "Don't worry, honey, do you want me to come over there?"

"N-No!" Reni replied quickly. "I'm just a bit scared... I'm sitting outside of the Demon King's office, waiting for him to finish an appointment. Oh mom, what if I get expelled? What's going to happen to me? I heard that the Demon King's tolerance for humans is just a facade and that deep down inside, he really hates us."

"Baby, I'm going over there. Once your Uncle Hope gets off from work, I'm going to take the car. Just wait for me," Clarissa reassured her daughter.

"Mom... I have to go, the King just finished his appointment," Reni replied silently. "Don't come for me... Please, mom. I need to do this on my own. I can't keep having you come for me whenever I'm in trouble."

"B-But!" Clarissa protested.

"—No, is a no," Reni cut her persistent mother off. Although she was touched by her mother's affection, she couldn't rely on her anymore. She realized that calling her mother had been a mistake in the first place. "I have to go mom. Take care of Ciel, I'll see you in the summer."

The phone conversation ended with a click. Clarissa slowly lowered her arm, smiling proudly at the level of maturity her daughter had reached. She was no longer the little girl who always insisted that she be by her side. Motherly pride flourished inside of her.

Her joy was short lived. Suddenly, she felt her body weaken. She fell towards the ground with no one to catch her. _How strange..._ She thought as her weightless body fell to floor. An _electric_ jolt surged throughout her body.

With her strength depleted, Clarissa closed her eyes and let sleep take over.

౦ം౦ം౦ം

A white room.

_Where am I?_

Clarissa thought sullenly as her feet touched the cold floor. _A dream?_

A young girl entered the abstract room, completely unaware of her presence although she was standing right in front of her. The girl was dressed like a school girl with a white tee and red miniskirt. Her pink hair was peculiarly done in a side ponytail.

"Serah."

The girl jumped as a majestic, silver-haired man walked into the room, a shining orb in his hand. A cursed blade the size of a train was strapped at his side. The man was obviously a seasoned warrior. The hard, stoic look in his eyes and the proud gait, which he walked in, was proof.

"Sephiroth, you're home," The girl named Serah greeted somewhat hesitantly.

"I have a present for you," The man, Sephiroth chuckled and tucked a strand of Serah's hair behind her ear. The gesture was something a lover would do, but the two looked far from being lovers. Unless, the relationship was one-sided then that changed everything.

Holding out a crystal, clear orb, Sephiroth motioned for Serah to take it.

"It's beautiful," Serah gasped. "What is it?"

"It's everything I ever wanted," Sephiroth answered. "Keep it safe."

With those words, the dark-shrouded man exited the room.

Serah stared fixated by the beautiful object. She held it to her cheek and listened to it hum for a moment before drawing it away. The orb was a marvelous object probably worth more than anyone in the world, except the Demon King, could afford.

_'Serah.'_

Clarissa's eyes widened as the orb _talked_. It seemed Serah was just as shocked as she was. The young girl stared at the orb, urging it to say something again. The sight of the girl rubbing the orb as if it were some magic lamp was quite amusing.

'_SERAH!' _The orb screamed.

Startled, Serah stumbled backwards, tripping over a stool. Losing her grip on the orb, she watched helplessly as it flew into the air. Clarissa shot to where the orb was falling and held her hands out to catch it, but the crystal sphere slipped through her transparent fingers. She could only watch helplessly as the orb shattered when it hit the floor.

A howling gale escaped from the broken orb, causing the entire room to shake in frenzy. The strong winds tossed the girl, Serah aside, pinning her against the door frame. The girl wasn't mortally harmed in any way, but she was unconscious.

Before Clarissa could help the girl, the scene changed.

This time, she knew immediately, from experience, that she was in a prison cell. The metal bars trapped her inside of a _white_ cage. The cell was surprisingly tidy and comfortable, considering it was a room where criminals were held captive.

In the corner of the room was a woman, who had her back towards her. This woman also had pink hair, but her mature body shape distinguished her from the young girl that she had previously seen. The woman was wearing a white dress that exposed her back, revealing deep, bloody gashes near her shoulder blades.

A guard donned in fine armor came up to the cell. Once again, the guard didn't notice her.

"Lightning Eclair Caelum," The guard's voice boomed. His tone was not one of disgust; rather, it held this "Lightning" person in high reverence. "The heavenly councils have made their decisions. You will accompany me to the heavenly courts to receive their mandate."

_Lightning Eclair Caelum? _Wasn't that the name of the demon king's wife, the woman that the angelic race heralded as their princess? What was she doing here? Clarissa racked her brains for a logical answer, but from what she knew, the Archangel was supposed to be dead.

Clarissa watched as the woman, Lightning stood and turned, giving her a full view of her physique. The sight of the woman made her gasp. With the exception of her pink hair and crystal, green eyes, this woman was her mirror image!

It was quite the shock. No one in the continent of Aria, excluding a couple of old timers, knew what the demon king's wife looked like. The demon king had burned all photos and trinkets of her in order to prevent his twins from bearing the pain of losing their mother.

Lightning did as she was ordered to and followed the guard out of the dungeons. Clarissa trailed behind the Archangel, copying the woman's graceful steps. She wanted to know why she was here, having these visions. This wasn't a dream. Someone or something was trying to convey a message to her.

They finally entered a grand courtroom structured similar to the ones that they used in Avalon. At the pulpit was a white specter, but she knew that it was the Lord of the Heavens in his unnatural form. Surrounding them, in their high pedestals, were flocks of ancient Archangels, all of whom were in attendance for one purpose: judgment.

Lightning walked to the center of the room.

It was judgment time.

"Lightning Eclair Caelum," The ruler of heavenly skies addressed. The specter's voice was angelic and musical. Not even the greatest songs could compare to the richness of his voice. "You stand before for the heavenly courts for your misdemeanors. Will you accept our judgment?"

"I will my liege," Lightning bowed respectfully. "State what you have mandated and I will accept graciously."

"Very well," the specter declared. "You are here, in visible form, because your soul, which was once entrapped inside an orb, was freed. As you know, Archangels are immortal, and the reason you live despite having been dead is because your soul lives on." The God continued, "We cannot destroy your soul, as it is a task unfit for heavenly beings and because it repulses me to take the life of my _own_ child. Therefore, a punishment other than death will be given to you."

"What is your judgment then, my lord?" Lightning questioned.

"As decided by the heavenly council, you will be temporarily stripped of your rank of Archangel. From the moment you leave this room, you will be a traitor — a Fallen Angel for committing the crime of soul exchange," The Lord of Heavens articulated. "You will lose memories of your previous life and be forced to live as a human."

Lightning nodded. There was nothing she could do about this cruel fate, but there was something she wanted to know, "My lord, what do you mean when you say I will _temporarily _lose my rank of Archangel."

"My child. Do not assume that I am merciless. Redemption is rewarded to everyone, including the worst of sinners," The heavenly lord hummed gloriously. "If by chance, during your life, you encounter your husband, fair-haired Lucifer's heir, Noctis Lucis Caelum and make _physical_ contact with him, your memories, titles, and life will be restored to you."

Lightning visibly brightened. Although the chances were one in a million, there was a slight possibility that she would be reunited with Noctis and her twins, Lucien and Lucia. The mere fact that she would see her family again strengthened her resolve.

"So my child. Do you accept the trials laid out for you?"

Dare she do otherwise?

"I do."

"Then fall, my child. And may your _wings_ guide you back to us once again."

With those words, the floor opened up beneath her and Lightning fell from the heavens, falling at neck-breaking speeds. Clarissa, who had been spectating the whole time, watched as the Archangel was exiled from her lands. And while she fell, the Archangel underwent enchanting changes.

"As black as the color of sin," Clarissa heard the Lord of the Heavens speak. "So shall your appearance become."

The dark-haired woman watched with growing curiosity as the Archangel, Lightning's hair darkened until it was completely black, not a single trace of her angelic hair remained. Then interestingly, her eyes lost their luster and darkened until they were the same color as her sable-black hair.

"And as the blind lament at the injustice of their disabilities," The Lord of the Heavens ended his verse after uttering the last stanza. "Your eyes shall bear their darkness."

Clarissa froze as Lightning, who was now her doppelganger was immersed in the mercurial river waters below. The scene changed for the last time and now it was Clarissa that stood at the center of the heavenly council.

"Welcome back my child," The Lord of the Heavens greeted warmly. "You have returned as was pre-destined. Although much time has passed since you departed, you have returned nonetheless. The Heavens praise this day."

Overwhelmed, Clarissa took a step away from the heavenly specter, "I-I don't understand..."

"Of course, it is only natural that you do not. The process involved in regaining one's memory is meticulous after all."

"I'm not Clarissa Angel, am I?" She asked.

"Indeed, you are not. Clarissa Angel was merely a human guise given to you by your extended family in Avalon. Do you truly not remember who you are?" The heavenly deity questioned.

"I do remember... sort of... never mind that, how is this possible that I'm here? Why are memories resurfacing now? I've yet to come in contact with Noctis!" Clarissa protested. "I believe you said I had to make physical contact with him."

"And _you_ did," answered the Lord of the Heavens. "Do you remember when I said, 'may your _wings _guide you back to us once again.' My child, how many wings do angels have?"

"Two," Clarissa claimed.

"How many wings do you have?" The Lord of the Heavens inquired. "Now think before you answer this question."

"I have none," Clarissa remarked. "My wings were taken from me, and I still have no idea how my wings relate to how I came into physical contact with my husband."

"That is where you are incorrect," The Lord of the Heavens proclaimed. "Let me ask you this instead. As Clarissa Angel, how many children do you have? And what are their names."

"I have two children," Clarissa explained. "Serenity and Luciel."

"How many wings do angels have?" The Lord of the Heavens repeated once more.

"Two."

"So I'll ask you again. How many children do you have?"

"Tw—" Clarissa gasped finally grasping everything. How did she not realize this before? "Serenity... and Luciel... they're my wings, aren't they? My children are my wings..."

"Correct," The heavenly deity affirmed. "You see my child, you never lost your wings when you sacrificed them. They merely manifested into forms that would better suit your situation. Hence, Serenity and Luciel were born."

"But I thought I gave _birth_ to Serenity and Luciel due to my separation from Noctis!" Clarissa protested.

"No, Lucien and Lucia resulted from your separation. And as long as they live, you will never give birth to another set of twins in the fashion you birthed them," The Lord of the Heavens explained. "Lucien and Lucia are the twins you birthed out of _necessity_, and Serenity and Luciel are the twins you birthed out of _luxury_."

Clarissa let the heavy weight of the heavenly deity's words sink in. Everything made sense. Serenity and Luciel were _her_ wings who wanted to comfort and support her like other angel wings would. And in a figurative sense, they were trying to raise her up with their unconditional love.

"Do you understand now?"

Clarissa nodded, "Wait... I still don't understand how I came into physical contact with my husband. I never met him in person while I was human."

The Lord of the Heavens chimed as if he had been expecting the question, "Your wings are parts of you, correct?"

"Yes, I'd assume they are," Clarissa replied.

"Well then... Didn't you get a call from your daughter prior to these series of visions? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think she said she was on her way to meet with..."

"Noctis," Clarissa breathed. "Serenity touched Noctis. She touched her _father..."_

"That's the only logical explanation there is," The Lord of the Heavens answered. "Now... We've dilly dallied for too long. Although it was quite nice to see you again, my child, I believe your place is on Aria."

"WAI—"

She didn't even get to finish.

"It's time to wake up, Lightning. You've been asleep for too long."

౦ം౦ം౦ം

The infamous Avalon night, known for its freezing temperature, brought snow from the skies. In the middle of an inconspicuous bus stop, a lone woman continued to lay still. To a passerby, the woman looked like a corpse, but she was far from that.

Slowly, the woman stirred awake.

Lightning opened her eyes for the first time in 16 years.

And she remembered_ everything_.

౦ം౦ം౦ം

A/N: Okay, I lied. NOW, Serenity is going on a mega-hiatus. I felt that if I had to leave Serenity on hiatus this chapter would be the best one to do so. So, I'm going to go work on Caitiff now. Expect that sometime in two weeks!

Anywhoo, for all of you confused readers, is the story starting to piece itself together? Clarissa isn't an OC! If it wasn't clear to you in this chapter, Clarissa = Lightning.

If Clarissa = Lightning, then Reni, Ciel, Lucia, Lucien = Lightis babies

If Reni, Ciel, Lucia, Lucien = Lightis babies, then Noctis = Reni's father.

If that doesn't = sense, then Eel Nivek = kick a puppy.

Gotta love math. So leave your thoughts, and I will get back to you ASAP :D


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